Tomorrow morning — or rather, in just a few hours now — it will finally be time for the big departure.
We decided to keep it to a small group. My father, my cousin, a few friends and some journalists will be there. I didn’t feel capable of leaving in front of my entire family and having to leave them behind at that moment.
So tonight, we organised one last meal together. My parents were there, along with my stepmother, my brother, his wife and my nephews.
Emotionally, it was very difficult.
I can feel that my departure is really hurting my mother. I could also tell that my brother was deeply affected. And I couldn’t hold back my tears.
Today, I know that I probably won’t see my nephews again for several months. They aren’t even four years old yet, and by the time I see them again, they may already be five. At that age, a few months is an enormous amount of time. Thinking about everything I’m going to miss really hurts.
It’s now 3:40 a.m., and I’m still making the final adjustments. I’m afraid of forgetting something: documents, some administrative task, an important item… I already know that some things won’t be finished before I leave. Fortunately, I’m lucky to have a close-knit family I can rely on.
Today, I still managed to get several important things done that had been causing me a lot of stress. I owe a lot of that to Alizée, my cousin, who has helped me enormously with these final preparations. She will also be cycling with me during the first part of the journey. Knowing that I won’t be alone during the first few days of this expedition is incredibly reassuring.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working flat out. In the end, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Being constantly busy stopped me from thinking too much about leaving and about the sadness of saying goodbye to the people I love, even though it hasn’t always been easy.
In just a few hours, I’ll hit the road. I’ve planned a fairly short first day, with fewer kilometres than my usual target. I’ll already have to deal with the emotions, the last-minute surprises and the realisation that, this time, the expedition has truly begun.
This is it. I’m here.
10,000 kilometres, Mickaël.
It’s almost four in the morning.
Time to try to get a few hours of sleep.